probe

1 of 2

noun

plural probes
1
: a slender medical instrument used especially for exploration (as of a wound or body cavity)
2
a
: any of various testing devices or substances: such as
(1)
: a pointed metal tip for making electrical contact with a circuit element being checked
(2)
: a usually small object that is inserted into something so as to test conditions at a given point
(3)
: a device used to penetrate or send back information especially from outer space or a celestial body
(4)
: a device (such as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (such as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information for diagnostic or experimental purposes
b
: a pipe on the receiving airplane thrust into the drogue of the delivering airplane in air refueling
3
a
: the action of probing
b
: a penetrating or critical investigation
c
: a tentative exploratory advance or survey

probe

2 of 2

verb

probed; probing; probes

transitive verb

1
: to search into and explore very thoroughly : subject to a penetrating investigation
2
: to examine with a probe
uncrewed vehicles probed space

intransitive verb

: to make a searching exploratory investigation
prober noun
Choose the Right Synonym for probe

enter, penetrate, pierce, probe mean to make way into something.

enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

Examples of probe in a Sentence

Noun The FBI probe did not produce any new evidence. a congressional probe into the accusations Verb His questions made it clear he was probing for information. He didn't like the police probing into his past. He didn't like the police probing him about his past. The doctor probed the wound with his finger. Searchers probed the mud with long poles. She probed the files for evidence that would help the investigation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Some of those named in the probe did not respond to interview requests. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 A number of Napa Valley’s most notable wineries have become caught up in a mysterious federal probe. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 But that gambit will also face hurdles as governments, including the EU and Brazil, launch probes into China’s allegedly unfair trade practices. Mary Hui, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Instead, the probe's telemetry modulation unit began sending a nonsensical repeating patterns of code. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 The Deep Space Network is a system of radio antennas on Earth that help the agency communicate with the Voyager probes and other spacecraft exploring our solar system. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Timeline: Criminal probe into Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia election results Attorneys for several defendants have been pushing for the disqualification of Willis from the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others. Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 In November 2022, Garland tapped Smith to oversee the criminal probe of Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents at his Florida home and private club, as well as a separate investigation into Trump’s efforts to block Biden’s 2020 election victory. Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Criticism that Irish regulators were taking too much time to complete EU-wide probes led to inquiries, and ultimately a decision to boost the number of national commissioners from one to three. Stephanie Bodoni, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Republicans in Congress have continued to probe the Biden family’s business dealings and in December authorized a formal inquiry into the president. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 Mystery among the vines: Why is the FBI probing some of Napa Valley’s fanciest wineries? Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 For example, Lee is working on a project that allows researchers to essentially probe or poke a single neuron to understand its functional properties. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2024 Now the amount that merchants fork over to Amazon is likely to grow even more thanks to a couple of additional fees that have quickly become controversial enough that the Federal Trade Commission has begun probing them, as Fortune reported exclusively last week. Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Tierra Whack: World Wide Whack [Interscope] On World Wide Whack, billed as Tierra Whack’s debut album, the exuberant rap innovator shifts gear, probing a world of alienation and disillusionment compounded by grief and depression. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 15 Mar. 2024 Potential structural failures in the pool deck or columns supporting the tower are among the top issues now being looked at as teams probe the cause of the disaster, investigators said. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Consumer attitudes have been somewhat negative lately, but probing the details yields a more optimistic slant. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 An investigative grand jury can last weeks because as prosecutors present their evidence and witnesses, the jury is expected to probe for more information and subpoena more witnesses. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'probe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin proba examination, from Latin probare

First Known Use

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1542, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of probe was circa 1542

Dictionary Entries Near probe

Cite this Entry

“Probe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/probe. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

probe

1 of 2 noun
1
: a slender medical instrument especially for examining a cavity (as a deep wound)
2
: a device used to penetrate or send back information especially from outer space
3
: a careful investigation
4
: an attempt to explore or learn about some unknown place
a space probe

probe

2 of 2 verb
probed; probing
1
: to examine with or as if with a probe
2
: to investigate thoroughly
prober noun

Medical Definition

probe

1 of 2 noun
1
: a surgical instrument that consists typically of a light slender fairly flexible pointed metal instrument like a small rod that is used typically for locating a foreign body (as a bullet embedded in a part of the body), for exploring a wound or suppurative tract by prodding or piercing, or for penetrating and exploring bodily passages and cavities
2
: a device (as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information (as detection of a virus or location of specific segments of a nucleic acid) for diagnostic or experimental purposes
the radioactive probe revealed the distribution of molecules in the membrane

probe

2 of 2 verb
probed; probing

transitive verb

: to examine with or as if with a probe
probe a wound

intransitive verb

: to search by using a probe
probe for a bullet

More from Merriam-Webster on probe

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